PyeongChang House welcomes the Paralympic Family to learn about the next Winter Games in 2018

POCOG head Kim Jin-sun welcomes everyone in four years time / POCOG

IPC President Sir Philip Craven likes the New Horizons theme and how it corresponds to the Paralympic Movement / POCOG

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

(SFC) The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) celebrated the “Four Years to Go”
to the opening of the XII Paralympic Winter Games.

Over 150 visitors and media gathered at PyeongChang House,
the hospitality venue to promote both the Olympics and the Paralympic Games.

POCOG President Kim
Jin-sun lead the ceremony and welcomed International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Sir Philip Craven,
IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge, Sochi 2014 President and CEO Dmitry
Chernyshenko, Korean Paralympic Committee President Kim Sung-il, a number of
IPC governing board members and NPC representatives.

"We are thrilled to note that 230,000 people visited
PyeongChang House during the Olympics, and so far 680 people have applied as
volunteers here in Sochi for our 2018 PyeongChang Games," noted President
Kim.

"Our PyeongChang Games preparations are well underway
and on schedule. We will deliver world-class barrier-free conditions so that
the Paralympic athletes will have every opportunity to achieve their sporting
best. PyeongChang will stage an extraordinary Games, bringing people with and
without impairments together, to experience inspirational sporting moments according
to the Paralympic values," he added.

Sir Craven noted, “Although we’re just two days into the sport
here in Sochi, we are 1,461 days away from the start of the PyeongChang 2018
Paralympic Winter Games in Korea.

“PyeongChang 2018’s vision is New Horizons which is exactly
what the Paralympic Movement is all about too.

“Through our strategic plan we want to create more
opportunities for people with impairment to play sport, whilst at the same time
breaking down society’s barriers.

“POCOG’s Actualising the Dream Project - aimed at promoting
Paralympic winter sports - will certainly help in achieving that vision because
Paralympic sport has a track record for driving social inclusion, no matter
where is takes place.

“PyeongChang will be the twelfth edition of the Paralympic
Winter Games. I’m delighted that since the first ones in Sweden in 1976, the
quality of the competition, the performances of the athletes and the event as a
whole have improved and got better each edition.”

The event included a musical performance by well-known Korean
singer, Lee Areum who is visually handicapped, and then the crowd got to watch
some characteristic Korean cultural dances staged by local artists from the
Gangwon Region.

The hospitality venue is located in Olympic Park and highlights
the excitement of the next Winter Games and Paralympics and the Republic of
Korea.

PyeongChang will host the Winter Paralympics during March 9
to 18 in 2018 and feature the elite athletes of the world of disabled sports.

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